Government of British Columbia: BC Coroners Service Confirms Identity of Avalanche Victim

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 26, 2013) - The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died in an avalanche near Kimberley on March 23, 2013.

The man was Joel Conway, aged 38, of Kimberley.

Mr. Conway was one of a group of seven snowmobilers who had travelled to the area of Hellroaring Creek southwest of Kimberley on a memorial run for another Kimberley resident who died in an avalanche in the same area four years earlier.

While the group was in the area, a large avalanche struck, burying two of the men. One man managed to dig himself out, but Mr. Conway was buried too deeply for self-rescue or for the other members of the party to be able to rescue him. They sought help, and a major search- and-rescue effort was launched. Mr. Conway's body was recovered from the area on March 24.

The BC Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate this death.

The family of Mr. Conway has been notified. On behalf of the family, the BC Coroners Service asks that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.

The BC Coroners Service notes that the Canadian Avalanche Centre continues to list the avalanche risk as "considerable" to "high" in many parts of the province and urges all backcountry users to take extreme care, including checking the Canadian Avalanche Centre website for current conditions in B.C.